Life in Love
by JC4ever1
Summary: Chronicles Jake and Cassie's developing feelings for one another (in my head, anyway). my first, so lemme know what you think. New Chapter, finally. PG13 now but later might become R.
1. The beginning

Disclaimer: Animorphs and it's characters are not my idea. All praise be to K. A. Applegate.

Chapter 1- The Beginning

Jake 

Something weird is definitely going on. For some reason, I can't even look at Cassie. I feel self-conscious and nervous whenever I'm around her. And it doesn't make any sense, I mean we've known each other ever since we were little, and I've always been more comfortable around her than anyone else. You know, like we could always talk about stuff. Now I feel downright awkward around her. 

And is it just me, or does she look really good today? I mean her eyes are so…big and brown today, and her smile is just lighting up the whole room. 

I think I'm losing my mind. It must have something to do with that dream I had last night. I've never had a dream like that before. Man, it was-

"Jake? Hello? Are you in there?" Rachel waved her hand in front of Jake's face impatiently.

"Oh, sorry-what were we talking about?" 

Rachel sighed exasperatedly. "Jake, you're the one who called this meeting in the first place. You were explaining the next mission?"

"Jeez, Jake who's the chick you're daydreaming about? She must be pretty hot." Marco, of course.

I just rolled my eyes to the ceiling. "Anyway, what we're gonna do is…"

Cassie

I listened to Jake's plan with half an ear as I pondered what Jake had been thinking about. He's been acting kind of strange around me lately and I'm not sure why. It's like I make him nervous or something. Weird. I mean true, I have feelings for him, but I never told him or anything. Maybe…maybe he feels the same way? 

I mean, I know there's something there, on both sides, but I just thought it was mutual respect, and a really deep friendship. I mean we're not even fourteen yet; what else could it be?

Although, at least for me, there been this strange physical pull that I've had towards him. Probably normal. I mean Jake is getting to be a really good looking guy. I mean, every day it seems he gets taller, and with his dark hair and eyes, and not to mention that smile, it makes for a pretty nice package. But he probably doesn't feel the same way about me…does he?

"Is everybody off in LaLa Land or something? Wake up, Cassie!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Oh, sorry," I replied, coming back to reality.

"God, what's wrong with you two today?"


	2. Coming to Conclusions

Chapter 2- Coming to Conclusions

(A/N- I know they're only 13 now, but they'll get older. Thanks for the positive feedback!)

Later that day, Jake was in his room talking to Marco.

Jake

Marco was giving me strange looks. "What?" I asked him.

"I should be asking you the same thing. What's going on with you and Cassie? Both of you were acting pretty spacey today. Something I should know?"

"No. Nothing going on between us, why?" I replied, a tad too quickly. 

"Come on, Jake, this is your best bud here. I know when something's on your mind, and I've had enough girls on my brain to know when one's on yours. What happened, dude?"

Obviously I wasn't doing a great job hiding it, so… "Well nothing, really, it's just…lately I've felt really…awkward around Cassie. Like I feel self conscious. See, I had this dream about her last night. I've had dreams like that before, but not about Cassie. So every time I look at her I think about it, and it's just really weird."

Marco rolled his eyes. "Oh, is _that_ all? Hey, I have dreams about Rachel all the time. It's no big deal, everyone knows you like Cassie. I bet even she knows."

"You think she does?" I asked.

"Sure. She likes you, too. Ask her out." 

"No way. She'd never go out with me. We're friends. If I asked her she'd be wierded out. I don't see how it's so easy for you to ask girls out. I mean, you ask Rachel at least once a day. "

Marco shrugged. "No biggie. They say no, so what? I've got nothing to lose."

I thought for a moment. "But that's where you and me are different," I said. " Me and Cassie already have something good with our friendship. If I let her know my feelings run deeper, if I ask her out, I'll have everything to lose."

Cassie

Rachel and I were in the barn after Tobias flew off and Jake and Marco left. 

"So what happened today?" Rachel asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked, trying to sound dumb.

"You know, the mental disappearing act you and Jake had earlier?"

I was quiet, thinking again.

"Well?" Rachel pressed.

"Rachel, do you think Jake likes me?" I blurted.

"Of course he does," she replied.

"No, I mean, more than just as a friend," I clarified.

"I know what you meant, and yeah, of course he does. Have you seen the way he looks at you when he thinks no one can see? And how nervous he gets around you lately? He's totally into you. Why don't you ask him out?" 

"Absolutely not, Rachel. I'm not as brave as you. I don't want to seem forward," I replied. 

"You won't, I guarantee he'll say yes."

"But it's not the same for you, Rachel. You're beautiful; any guy you ask wouldn't believe his good luck if you asked him out," I said.

"Oh, stop being ridiculous, Cassie. You're definitely beautiful, And Jake worships the ground you walk on."

" I just don't want to ruin the friendship Jake and I have. I means too much to me, and I'd rather have that than nothing at all."

Rachel nodded. "But life is about taking chances."

After Rachel left, I thought for a long time. And I came to the conclusion that this was one chance that I just couldn't afford to take. 


	3. No downside

Chapter 3- No downside

A/N- Jake et al are now 15. By now, of course, Ax is in the picture.

Cassie and Rachel are in the hall at school getting ready to leave. 

Cassie

I shut my locker door, letting out a calming breath.

"Like I said, Rachel, I'm not going to Homecoming this year." 

"Yes, you are."

I hefted my backpack, giving Rachel a level stare. "No, I'm not," I said, preceding to walk down the hall. 

I should have known that wouldn't do it.

"Cassie, give me one good reason why you shouldn't go," replied Rachel, falling into step with me. "Because, you know, I 'm not seeing a downside. Let's see. Number one, we'll be in a group, so Marco will stop riding me about Tobias and I - and by the way, this is _not _a date. We are simply enjoying one another's company for the evening."

"Who are you trying to convince?" I said lightly, trying to shift the conversation back onto her.

"Don't try to change the subject on me; don't think I don't know what you're doing." Sigh. "Now, back to what I was saying. Number two, you and Jake can finally stop playing this whole 'just friends' thing - it's getting annoying. And number three, my personal favorite- _I _get to take you shopping for a gorgeous dress to wear, cause sweetie, I have seen those sorry excuses for dress clothes you have, and they're not gonna cut it. You, my friend, are gonna knock Jake's socks off."

I'll admit, the idea was definitely growing on me. I allowed myself a small smile. But wait a minute. "Rachel, you're forgetting one little detail. Jake hasn't asked me to this thing yet."

Rachel smiled knowingly. "Oh, he will," she said. "If I know my cousin, he most definitely will."

We went our separate ways, and as I started towards home, I played with the idea of Jake being my date for the dance. This friends thing was a lot harder than I anticipated. Some days I would catch myself daydreaming about him, wondering what it would be like if we went on a date, or if he was a good kisser. I was sure he was. But maybe he didn't want to ask me out. I mean, as gorgeous as Jake was, I knew there were lots of girls at school who liked him, and he could have his pick of them all; why would he pick me? 

"Hey, Cassie." The shy sounding male voice came from behind me. I turned around.

"Oh, hey, Brian." It was Brian Randall, my lab partner for biology. He was really smart, and into animals as much as I am. He was a really sweet guy, who also happened to be extremely cute, with curly black hair and hazel eyes. Rachel swore he was totally into me, but I didn't think so. Maybe I was too busy thinking about Jake to notice. "What's up?" I asked.

"Not much. Are you going home?" He asked. 

"Yeah, I have a ton of work to do at the clinic."

"I'll walk you, if you want." 

Hmmm.

"Okay, I don't mind company," I replied casually. 

"Cool." We walked quietly for awhile.

"So," Brian said, breaking the silence, "have you done much research on the lab report yet?"

"Yeah, I'm about halfway through my part. You?"

"I finished my half yesterday."

"Oh, that's good, you've got it out of the way," I replied.

"Yeah. Um, if you have time today, I could maybe help you with your part," Brian said hopefully.

This was interesting. Better play it carefully.

"No, I think I'm okay, I've pretty much got everything I need, It's just a matter of putting it all together," I replied.

"Oh, okay." We were at my house now. 

"Okay, Brian, thanks for walking me home. I'll see you in class?"

"Yeah," Brian said. I opened the door.

"Hey- Cassie?" Brian asked quickly.

"Yeah?" 

"You wouldn't maybe wanna go to the dance with me, would you?" he asked nervously.

I wasn't completely surprised, but I was still caught off guard. "Um- dance?" I stammered.

"Yeah, Homecoming? Next Friday?"

"You're asking me to Homecoming?" I asked stupidly.

"Well, yeah-I mean-Never mind, I shouldn't have asked. You probably have-"

"No, Brian, I- I don't, actually, but-"

"No, I understand, Cassie. It's okay. I've got to go."

I just looked at him, not saying anything, not knowing what to say, as he turned to leave. But then he turned back again.

"Listen…whoever you're waiting for…he's a really lucky guy. If he doesn't come around, I'll be at the dance. And if he does…save a dance for me, okay?"

My heart melted. "Absolutely," I said to him, sending him a smile.

He grinned back as he turned to leave. I watched him until I couldn't see him anymore, then I just dropped down to the steps.

"Well, hell."


	4. An Opening

Chapter 4- An Opening

__

Jake

"This is an interesting piece of food. Ood. What is it?"

"Oh that's a pretzel, Ax. Try it, and dip it in the mustard first," Tobias suggested. We were all having a good time at the mall. It was after school, and we'd all just come from the record store to look at Cds. Now we were just relaxing and watching Ax experiment with food.

"Oh, yes," Ax was telling us. "This is quite…as you say…tasty. Taste. Asty."

"Glad you like it, Ax-man," Marco said lightly, "but give it back before you owe me a buck- ninety nine." He snatched the remainder of his pretzel and took a big bite out of it.

"So, Jake," he asked me over a mouthful of pretzel, "When you gonna ask Cassie to Homecoming?"

I nearly spit out my orange soda. "What?"

"What do you mean, what? You are gonna ask her, right? You better get a move on, dude."

"I never said-"

"Come on," Marco said. "It's easy. I already asked Shelby Daniels today. She said she'd think about it. And you'll get a definite yes if you ask Cassie. Just go for it. Hey, Tobias did, and now he's got Rachel as his date to Homecoming!"

"It's not a date, alright?" Tobias sighed.

"Yeah, whatever, man. I just don't know why you're so modest. I'd shout it to the rooftops if I'd bagged a chick like Rachel."

"Wait. I do not understand. Why do you need to bring Cassie home? I should think she would be home by now."

"Ax, try to keep up, okay? The football team's coming back to our home field to play, so we have this big dance to celebrate _their _homecoming," Marco explained.

"Oh."

"So anyway, like I was saying, you gotta ask her soon. Homecoming's only a week away."

"Yeah, Jake," Tobias remarked. You have to let Cassie know how you feel before it's too late."

"Yeah- the hypocrite over there is right," Marco joked. "And now's the perfect time. This dance is an opening. All you have to do is step through. Trust me, man, you don't wanna sleep on this any longer."

That got my attention. "What do you mean?"

"I _mean, _you're totally taking Cassie for granted. How long do you think she'll wait for you?"

"She's not waiting for me," I said wistfully.

"Come on, wake up. That girl is totally head over heels in love with you. You're obviously deaf, dumb, and blind."

"And think about it," Tobias said, "If _you _want to ask Cassie to the dance, there are others who do, too, take it from me."

"Others?" I asked worriedly. "What others?"

"Come on, open your eyes and face it, Jake," said Marco. "Have you looked at Cassie lately? The girl gets more beautiful every day. I'll bet there are plenty of offers coming in. And those guys aren't gonna ask your permission. Plus, she may like you, but she won't ask you out. She's not like those girls who are all aggressive with guys. But you can't just assume she'll be there waiting for you whenever you decide to come around. You might miss your chance."

Marco's words were hitting home, big time. What if someone else got Cassie before I did? Then I may never get the chance again. I frowned in thought. If someone else asked her, I was out of luck.

A while later I laid across my bed at home, thinking about my options. It was clear to me then that I only had one. I had to take this chance while I still had it, and forget my nervousness and insecurity. And if Cassie would have me, I knew that nothing could be better. It was becoming impossible to control the urge to reach out and touch her, to put my arms around her, to kiss her, and tell her how I feel. Well, it was now or never. I sat up and picked up the phone. I dialed quickly, before I lost my nerve, and listened for her soft voice. But it never came; the line was busy.

"Damn," I said softly as I placed the receiver back in its cradle. _Well, I can't let that stop me, _I thought. _ I have to go to her. _I grabbed my jacket.

Cassie

"Are you kidding?"

"No, Rachel, I'm totally serious." I had called Rachel to tell her my news about Brian after my chores were done. "He really asked me out. I guess you were right," I told her as I walked with the cordless phone out to the front porch swing.

"When am I not right?" Rachel joked. "So, what did you say to him?"

"Not much. I didn't really get the chance to. He asked me, and then I just stared at him like I was a complete idiot. And then he got all nervous and backtracked, which was really kind of sweet, then he said I probably already had a date. And I didn't say exactly, but it must have been all over my face that I was waiting for someone, because you know what he said?"

"What?"

"He said that whoever the guy was is really lucky, and that if he doesn't come around, that Brian'd be at the dance."

"Wow."

"Yeah, I know, and now I feel kind of stupid."

"Why? You still want to go to the dance with Jake, right?"

"Well, yeah, of course, but I just turned down a really sweet, smart, adorable guy, not because I already have a date, but because I'm waiting for the guy I really want to ask me. How selfish is that?"

"That's not selfish, Cassie," Rachel told me. "It wouldn't be fair to Brian if you don't return his feelings and you make him think you do. Because you don't…do you?"

"Well, no, I mean he'd be a great friend, but I have much more inside me for Jake. Only Jake hasn't asked me to this thing yet."

"He will," Rachel said confidently. "If he doesn't, he's an idiot, and there's no hope for him, 'cause I know he's gone over you. Although…"

"What, Rachel?" I asked curiously.

"Well, I think that when it comes to you, Jake's just a normal, insecure guy who's afraid, so he's dragging his feet. And it's an age-old rule that nothing makes a guy step up to the plate more than thinking someone _else_ is after you."

"What are you saying?" 

"Just that maybe seeing you as the object of another guy's attention might make _him _snap to attention. He'll go totally caveman on you. It could make for a very interesting dance."

"Wait- You're saying I should go with Brian to the dance just to make Jake jealous?" I asked.

"More or less," Rachel replied.

"I don't know about that, Rachel. I'm not into playing games."

"Well, I'm not saying you should do it; but it would work if you did. But you're not gonna have to, anyway, because Jake will ask you, you'll see."

"I hope s-" I broke off as I looked down my driveway. "Rachel I have to go; Jake's here."

"Told you I'm always right," she said.

"Bye Rachel," I said and hung up the phone. Jake was walking up my drive, looking determined, nervous, and gorgeous. As always, when I looked at him, I felt a rush of emotion. He was so tall, six foot one at 15 years old. He was wearing jeans and a white T-shirt, which he filled out nicely. I felt the familiar tug in my belly and my heart just looking at him. Then he was up on the porch, smiling at me. God.

"Hey, Cassie."

Jake

"Hey." Cassie smiled at me. _God, she's so damn pretty, _I thought. For a second, I just stood there looking at her.

"Well, have a seat," Cassie said, motioning me to the swing. I sat right next to her on the little swing. She smelled so good.

"What's up, Jake? You've been looking at me like that a lot lately; is something wrong?"

She leaned closer, her deep brown eyes searching my face. Her hair, which she'd recently grown out, was in all these dark curls around her face, and they looked so…soft. I stuck my hands in my pockets. 

"No, Nothing's wrong," I told her. _Go for it_, my head kept telling me. _Ask her._ "Cassie…"

"Yes, Jake?"

"Um…"Are you going to this Homecoming…thing…on Friday?"

"Yeah, I think I'll go," she said. 

"Yeah?" I said. "Because I think I might go, too."

"Really?" She wasn't gonna make this any easier for me.

"Yeah. Ah…has anyone…I mean…is there anyone going with you?"

"No, I don't have a date yet."

Phew. "Oh, yeah? Cause, you know, I was thinking…Maybe-since we'll both be there anyway- we could maybe go together." _Well, here goes_. "I guess what I'm trying to say is…Would you go to Homecoming with me?" I finished on a breath. Cassie was just blinking at me. Oh, God. _Why doesn't she say anything? _I panicked. "I mean-just as friends, of course," I blurted. As soon as I said them, I wanted to gobble the words back up. _You stupid idiot! _I berated myself. Cassie just looked down.

"Of course," she said softly.

Had that been disappointment I had seen in her eyes, just before she'd hidden them with her lashes? No, it couldn't have been.

"I'd love to go with you, Jake," she said, sending me a small smile.

"Cool," I said, grinning back at her. I stood up. "Well, see you tomorrow?" 

"Yeah. Bye, Jake."

I went home and kicked my desk. 


	5. No Turning Back

(A/N I hope you don't mind my switching to third omniscient. I'm trying it for this chapter. I feel like first person is going to be a little too weird for me to write in later on- but if it's too weird for you guys, I'll switch back.)

(A/N- Please allow me to offer my sincerest apologies for the wait. I throw myself upon your mercy. I made this chapter long to compensate. Now, without _further_ adieu…)

No Turning Back

Cassie, hold still!"

"Okay," Cassie replied, her annoyance obvious in her tone. "Rachel, how much longer is this going to take?"

"Be patient. Beauty takes time," Rachel replied over the pins in her mouth.

"I don't see what the big deal is, anyway. It's only hair."

Rachel stopped lifting Cassie's curls up for a moment. "I'm gonna pretend I didn't just hear you say that. I am in the middle of giving you the most gorgeous up-do you've ever seen-well, next to mine, of course."

Cassie frowned. Up-do? "Rachel, I'd rather just leave it hanging. Besides, we don't have a whole lot of time before the guys get here to pick us up."

"Oh, yeah. Well, okay, it'll look just as great down," Rachel remarked as she pulled the pins out of Cassie's hair, letting soft curls fall down around her face. "Besides, we need to make time for makeup."

"Makeup?" Cassie exclaimed as she stood and smoothed out the front of her long skirt. "Rachel, no."

"Cassie, all you need is a little mascara, some eyeliner, shadow, and a little lipstick."

"Oh, is that all?" Cassie replied sarcastically. "Rachel, you know that's not my thing." 

"Cassie, please? You're going to look even more gorgeous," Rachel pressed. She could see Cassie's resistance fading, so she kept going. This would be easy. She pulled her trump card. "Do you want to make Jake drool or not?"

Cassie blushed. Had she been that obvious? But for some reason, she continued with the façade. "Rachel, Jake and I are just going as friends. He made that clear. I don't really care about what he thinks of my outfit," she lied unconvincingly.

"You've never been a good liar," Rachel told her.

Half an hour later, the doorbell rang. Cassie jumped about a foot into the air. Rachel tucked her tongue in her cheek. She couldn't quite stop the grin.

"For someone who doesn't care what Jake thinks, you're awfully jumpy tonight," she remarked mildly.

"Oh, be quiet," Cassie muttered, blushing furiously, and went to the door.

***********************

"Geez, I wish they'd come to the door already; or we'll be late picking up Shelby," Marco grumbled to Phillip. "Knock again!" he called out from the car. 

"Hold on!" Jake called. "And stop complaining." He lowered his voice. "Hey-Tobias, what do you think's taking them so long to come to the door?"

"I don't know- they're girls, right? So they have to take, like, hours to get ready."

Jake tugged at his tie. "Well I hope-" He stopped mid-sentence as Cassie appeared in the doorway. He tried to say hello, but he didn't really trust himself to form a coherent sound at that moment. So he simply stared. She was wearing this pale blue strapless thing that had a long straight skirt, and two pieces. The top stopped maybe an inch above the skirt, with a tiny hint of midriff showing between. Her hair was down, just the way he liked it, and her eyes, her eyes seemed impossibly large and dark. She looked back at him, and a lovely flush of color spread into her cheeks.

"Hi."

Jake cleared his throat. It seemed like his tie was getting smaller and smaller. "Uh, hi."

Tobias was wearing a very similar expression on his face as he got a look at Rachel. She smiled, a very satisfied little smile, grabbed her sweater, and handed it to Tobias. He quickly helped her into it as she gestured to Jake. "Come on Jake, stop drooling and let's get a move on. We have dinner reservations, remember?"

Jake would have been content to stand there and watch Cassie. Forget the dance. But he held out a hand to Cassie. "Um, shall we?"

"Mm-hm." Cassie placed her hand in his and tried not to think how big, strong, and safe it felt around hers. Just friends, she repeated over and over in her head like a mantra. We're only friends. 

Later, at the dance, Marco, Jake, Tobias, and Ax stood around the food table.

"Why do females of your species feel the need to go to rest areas in groups? Oopss?" Ax wondered. "On my planet both males and females are able to perform bodily functions unaccompanied."

Marco snorted. "Ax-man - I mean, Phil-man- That's a question us guys have been trying to figure out since the beginning of time. All I know is, it is really annoying. I was on the verge of convincing Shelby to take little walk outside with me, if you know what I'm saying. And then all of a sudden, off she goes, with her little girl pack off to no-man's land to do…whatever it is they do." 

Ax piped up. "Marco, if I am not mistaken, Shelby told you to continue dreaming when you asked her to take a walk with her. I think she left because she was angry with you."

"Oh, busted by the Ax-man, Tobias cracked. "There she is, dude. You better go apologize, or you'll be leaving this thing by yourself."

"Thanks a bunch, _Phillip,_" Marco muttered as he hurried towards Shelby. 

And there she was. Jake found himself transfixed again as he watched Cassie return from the bathroom with Rachel. Tobias went up to Rachel and they went off to dance. Cassie just looked over at him. They'd been at the dance for over an hour, and had yet to dance together. But just then, she averted her gaze to the left. Jake followed it, and focused on Brian Randall. His eyes narrowed into a scowl. What was this guy doing, he wondered as he noticed Cassie smiling at Brian. Time to make a move. He moved to Cassie quickly.

"Do you want to dance?"

Cassie looked up. "Not right now, Jake. I have a promise to keep."

"With whom?"

"With Brian, why?"

"What are you dancing with him for?" Jake realized how jealous he sounded, but he didn't care.

"Because I promised him I would." _Because I need to be away from you, _Cassie pleaded silently. _Because I can't face what I feel for you._ In defense, she tried to make her voice cold. "Why do care, Jake?" she asked him. "We're only here as friends, remember?" And she walked off towards Brian.

Jake stared after her, watched her walk away from him and into Brian's arms. _The jerk_, Jake thought viciously. "Who the hell does he think he is?" he said under his breath.

"What'd you say, man?" Marco asked from behind him.

"Nothing," Jake replied gruffly. "I'm going to go sit down."

Cassie swayed gently with Brian. They were both pretty much silent, until Brian broke the silence. "So," he said. "Would it be too forward or inappropriate for me to tell you that you look really beautiful?" 

Cassie smiled faintly. "No," she replied, "and thanks."

"No, thank _you_," he said, grinning as Cassie blushed. "So, do you want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?"

"Why you're so preoccupied. I mean, the last thing I want to talk about is the guy you passed me up for, but, since he's obviously making you sad, we'll talk about it anyway. What'd he do?"

__

"It's more a question of what he didn't do," Cassie replied.

"What do you mean?"

"You probably don't wanna hear this," Cassie said. 

"Come on, it'll make you feel better if you talk about it. I suppose if I can't convince you to forget about him and run away with me, I have to settle for being your friend. So, what, is he being an idiot?"

"I guess you could definitely say that. I mean, he knows how I feel. He has to. And - I really think he feels the same way. But he won't _do _anything about it."

"Want me to go kick his butt for you?" Brian joked. "Because it would be really satisfying for me."

Cassie giggled. As the song ended, she pulled back from Brian. "As tempted as I am to take you up on that, I think I'm just gonna talk to him.

"Hey, just say the word," Brian said as she walked off. He shook his head, watching her.

__

"Man."

*****************

Cassie scanned the throng of kids on the dance floor. No sign of Jake.

*All right, party people…* the deejay announced. *Time for the famous last dance. So guys grab your girl, cause this your last chance for a little dance floor lovin'.*

Just then, Cassie felt Rachel tugging her arm-with Jake on her other arm. Her heart pounded frantically inside her chest. Oh, god. 

"Alright, that's it," Rachel said matter-of-factly. You two have been dancing around each other all night, and now it's time to dance with each other. Now." She walked off with Tobias. 

"Well, can't argue with that, can you?" Jake said to Cassie, stepping toward her. He was more than ready for this.

"I guess not," Cassie replied. She looked up at Jake, not really sure what to do. Jake just stepped forward and pulled her into his arms.

His first thought was to marvel at the way she fit. She just fit so well in his arms. She felt small, but strong; soft and feminine; and she smelled _incredible._ He leaned down, turned his face into her hair, and breathed in.

Cassie closed her eyes and sighed. She couldn't help it. The way his arms closed around her, the way his hands felt so big and firm at her waist. It was getting impossible to do this "friend" thing. She shivered as she felt his warm breath at her ear. "You look incredible tonight," he whispered softly. God, what was he doing to her? She was feeling things she was sure she shouldn't be feeling; that she was sure Jake would freak if he knew about them. Still, she couldn't stop herself from lifting a hand from the back of his neck to lightly play with the ends of his hair. She felt his arms come more tightly around her.

Jake wasn't sure how long the song lasted. He wasn't even sure what the song even was, nor did he care. All he did know was that when it was over, he didn't want to let her go. So his hands remained at her waist as they pulled apart. They looked into each other's eyes for a long time as the people, the nameless, faceless people, filed out of the room around them. 

***********************

As they all rode home form the dance, no one really said much. Rachel broke the ice.

"So, are we going to the after-party?"

"Definitely," Marco said. He'd wanted to get his mind off Shelby; she'd gotten a ride home with friends. He'd really blown it.

"Sounds good," Tobias piped up. He wanted to be anywhere Rachel was.

"Actually, I'm not really in the mood for a party," Cassie said. "You can just drop me off here, Tobias. I'll walk home." It would give her some fresh air, and a chance to think.

"Okay, but Jake, if Cassie's walking home alone, you should walk with her," Rachel put in.

"Oh no that's-" Cassie's cop-out was cut off by Rachel's elbow in her side.

So Jake and Cassie were walking down the sidewalk together toward her house. But Jake foolishly didn't say anything until they were almost to her door. 

"So." 

"So, here we are," Cassie said. _Now please just leave before I do want I want to do, _she begged him in her head.

"Yeah, I guess I better go." He turned to leave. _You idiot!_ he thought. _How can you just walk away, when her lips look so damn kissable?_

He decided that he couldn't.

As Cassie fumbled with the doorknob, trying to get inside-and _why_ couldn't she fit this key in the lock- she felt a strong hand on her arm, turning her briskly around. She had a split second to register Jake's intense eyes on her face before his lips touched hers.

It was just a light touch of lips, just a sort of testing, really, but she felt this…explosion inside her chest that she could only characterize as the bursting of her heart. When he broke contact, he laid his brow against hers for a moment before leaning in and kissing her again.

Jake couldn't stop himself. He kissed her longer this time, savoring the way her lips felt, the way they tasted. He kept his hands light on her upper arms as he deepened the kiss slightly. And when he pulled away, he ran his hands down her arms to link with hers.

Cassie watched Jake walk away without another word, but not before her heart did a slow turn in her chest and landed soundly at his feet.

And there was clearly no turning back.

(A/N- I don't know if you guys have heard this song, but it is one of the most romantic songs I have ever heard. It's Lifehouse's Everything, and it is _exactly _the song I play in my head when I think about Jake and Cassie together. So, JC fans, if you haven't heard it, I beg you, download it ( I got mine at KaZaA), and it might bring you to tears.

Also, you might have heard it on Smallville if you watch that. 


	6. Obsessing Over It

I'm sorry, I'm a lazy bum- but here you go. Sort of a filler, but a long one- R&R please!

Obsessing Over It

Cassie woke the next morning with a smile on her face as she felt the sun beaming in through her window. 

Such a beautiful morning.

It suddenly occurred to Cassie that she never took the time to appreciate beautiful mornings anymore. With all the nightmares, all the worries, all the fear, she couldn't remember the last time she woke up feeling so deliriously happy. She wasn't sure she ever had. Why was that? Why this morning? She sat up and looked out the window. She could only think of one reason, only one person. And he was Jake Berenson.

Cassie couldn't help but sigh as she remembered the night before. It had been short, much too short. But so romantic while it had lasted. The way he'd just pulled her into his arms and held her there. The way he'd looked at her, as if she'd been the only person, the only thing in the world that mattered.

His intense gaze as he'd leaned in and kissed her; the way his lips felt against hers.

Perfect.

No, wait. Cassie stepped out of her daydream. Not perfect.

She and Jake were only friends. This couldn't happen. It would screw up what they already had, and besides, she was too young to be feeling the way she was.

__

But you are, she told herself. _And it's already happened._

So what now?

***********************************

Jake woke up on Saturday morning with a mile wide grin on his face. After all, just eight short hours ago, he had worked up the courage to kiss the girl of his dreams. 

And she'd kissed him back.

Of all the ways he'd been afraid she'd react when he kissed her - that she'd slap him, run crying into the house, call the cops, what have you- he'd never expected her to actually kiss him back. 

As it was, he wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything until he kissed her again.

He heard the knock on his door. "Hey Jake, you up?" 

Jake's mood faded as he heard his "brother"'s voice. 

"Yeah, what?"

"Dad wants you downstairs, so get your puny butt out of bed, kid."

Jake tried to block the wave of rage and despair that threatened to wash over him and replace it with mindless brotherly insults. "I'm not a kid, jerk." 

"Hurry up and get dressed" was Tom's reply as he snapped Jake's door shut again. Jake threw a shirt on over his pajama pants and headed downstairs, where his father was reading the paper in the kitchen. 

"Hey, son, how was the dance?"

Jake grinned. "It was great. So what'd you need?"

Mr. Berenson smiled. "I'm glad you had a good time. I just wanted you to take some supplies over to Mr. Verenda for the clinic, before you get to mowing the lawn this morning. He said the Barn should be open; you could just drop them off in there."

"Sure, Dad," Jake said, hiding his smile. He wondered if Cassie was up yet.

****************************************

Cassie switched on the lights in the barn, intending to let her chores occupy her mind for awhile. That was all she needed, really; this whole thing about Jake would blow over. He'd probably forgotten all about that one, isolated little kiss. He certainly wouldn't be obsessing over it like she was. All she had to do was keep busy, she thought as she put water out for the horses. 

"Shouldn't be hard," she said under her breath.

"What shouldn't be too hard?"

Cassie jumped at the sound of Jake's voice behind her. It was as if her incessant thinking of him had somehow conjured him into appearance. "Geez, Jake, you scared me half to death."

"I'm sorry," Jake replied, his eyes intent on her face. Cassie tried not to notice the way he looked in his T-shirt, jacket and jeans, with his hair still damp from the shower. She took a step back as he took one forward. "So what was it that shouldn't be too hard?"

"Oh, nothing-just, ah, my chores today," Cassie improvised. "What are you doing here, Jake? I thought the meeting was later."

She was so cute, Jake mused, all nervous in her overalls. He'd always loved her in those. "My dad wanted me to bring this stuff over for the clinic." He grinned and decided to try his hand at flirting with her. "Which, incidentally, gives me a great opportunity see you again."

Cassie blushed a deep crimson. Was he flirting with her? "Ah..."

Jake only grinned. "So, where should I put these?" He said, gesturing with the box under his left arm. 

Cassie held back a self deprecating sigh. She wondered just how pathetic was it that she hadn't even noticed until now that there'd been anything in his hand. Jake pressed on.

"Never mind, I see a perfect place." He reached around her slowly and placed the box on and empty cage behind her. He slowly came back around and leaned on the cage so that his arms were on either side of her. "Hey," he said.

Cassie looked away. "Jake, we need to talk. About last night, I mean." 

"You want to talk about the kiss?" Jake cut to the chase. "Me, too."

"Could - could you maybe back up just a little?" Cassie asked, not very forcefully.

"Why?" Jake replied. "I like being near you. I want to be near you all the time." He inched his face forward. "Now, about that kiss..."

Cassie closed her eyes as he closed the distance between them. How could this be wrong?

When the kiss ended, Jake eased back. "See you at the meeting later" was all he said. Cassie watched in dazed silence as he left. 

It was going to be really hard to stay away from him, now.

__


	7. Can't Deny

(A/N Alright, finally got through that writer's block. Here's chappie 7. Hope you like it as much as I do.) 

Can't Deny

Jake showed up early for the meeting. He was pleased to find Cassie was already in the barn. 

"What are you doing?" he asked her.

Cassie jumped, turned. "God, Jake, you're gonna have to stop doing that."

Jake just stepped forward and pressed his lips to hers. "That too," Cassie said as he pulled back. 

Jake chose to ignore that last request. "Do you want to go out tonight?" he asked her. 

"Go out tonight?" Cassie asked. "Jake, don't we have a mission tonight? Hence, this meeting?"

Jake looked down. "Actually, we're going have to go on the mission a little earlier than planned."

"How much earlier, Jake?"

Jake cleared his throat. "Um, we probably need to get going right after the meeting. We're, um, gonna need to be a little more careful than previously anticipated."

Cassie frowned. "Jake you're scaring me a little. I thought we were just checking out a new Yeerk pool entrance. I thought we weren't going to have to do any fighting tonight. You said we were just going to scope it out and leave."

Jake looked up. "I know, Cassie, but...I heard Tom on the phone earlier. He said something about a thing happening this afternoon. He didn't want to say what it was, but they're meeting at the new entrance. Soon. So, it could be more dangerous than we thought."

"Then maybe we shouldn't go today. We're not really prepared, and we have no idea what's going to happen." Cassie reasoned. She sat down on a bale of hay.

"No, Cassie, you don't understand," Jake told her, sitting next to her. "Tom is definitely gonna be there. I know it's not safe or smart to do this, but I need to; I might not get another direct chance to save Tom for a while." He took her hand. "I know that you know this might not be helpful against the Yeerks in the big picture, and I wouldn't ask any of you to go with me for this. But if there's a chance to save Tom, _I_ need to do it. So, I'm just gonna tell the others when they get here that I'm-"

"Jake, stop it," Cassie cut in. "You know that none of us is going to let you go alone. We all want to save Tom, and we're going to do everything we can to set him free. Okay?" She looked him straight in his eye. 

"Yeah." Jake squeezed Cassie's hand. "That means a lot to me." 

Just then, Cassie caught that glint in Jake's eye, that I'm-about-to-lean-in-and-kiss-you glint that she'd already begun to recognize and anticipate. As he leaned in, she pulled her hand away. "Jake, you can't keep doing that just because-"

"Just because what? Because of last night?" Jake demanded.

"It doesn't have to mean anything," Cassie said. "It was just..." She looked away, unable to look him in the eye when she said it. "It was just a kiss," she said, quietly and without conviction.

Jake tipped up Cassie's chin with his forefinger. "It was more than just a kiss, Cassie, and it already means everything." When Cassie remained silent, he went on. "Why are you afraid of this?"

"Because it's scary, Jake. For me. I - I'm feeling things for you that I'm to young to feel."

"We're too young for a lot of things we do, Cassie," Jake replied. "And yeah, out of everything we've done or will do, I'd put this on the short list of most scary things. But I can't forget about that kiss, and I can't stop kissing you, or being close to you. Because the fact remains that in the last two years, I can count the times that I've been really, truly happy on one finger. And that moment when we kissed, and you looked at me the way you did, Cassie - that was it."

Jake took both of her hands in his. "I can't let go of that, Cassie. I won't."

Cassie felt tears stinging at her eyes. She let Jake pull her into his arms. "Jake, don't you see that this is going to change everything? Nothing will ever be the same."

"I realize that, too, Cass," Jake replied. "But you can't deny that this is the right thing. And you're right. Things will be different. But I say they're going to be even better."

Cassie felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth. "You just told me what my heart's been saying all along. And how do I argue with that?"

Jake leaned in. "You don't," he whispered, letting his lips brush hers. "So back to my original question. Somehow I don't thing we'll do much good today. And I think I'm gonna need you with me tonight. So how about it? Pick you up at seven?"

Cassie took a deep breath. "It's a date," she said, losing herself in his answering kiss. It was longer, even more incredible than before. Yes, this was definitely right.

"So, did we come at a bad time?" Rachel called form the door.


	8. Can't Wait

(A/N- Please don't hate me for taking so long, I've had so much going on, on top of a major case of writer's block. Believe me, from now on I'm gonna try and keep on top of this. It's really encouraging that so many of you like my story, seeing as I've never written one before. Anyway, if I haven't groveled enough, I'll say again that I'm really sorry!)

ps- RasberryGirl, I love your fics, too!

Okay, on with it, then-

Can't Wait

Rachel smiled from the doorway of the barn as Jake and Cassie pulled apart like they'd just been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"Hey, don't let us stop you," Marco said, smirking as he walked in. "Guess you got luckier than I did last night, Jake," he remarked, eyes twinkling.

"Shut up, Marco," Jake said blushing crimson to his ears. 

Cassie had developed a sudden and furtive interest in the empty cage on the counter. "We need to talk," Rachel said, grabbing Cassie's arm and pulling her into the surgery room. 

"And when were you gonna tell me about this?" she demanded.

"Rachel, it just happened last night," Cassie replied. 

"Cassie, last night was over twelve hours ago. You should have called me the second it happened. This is major, and I'm your best friend!"

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Well, no offense, but I wasn't really thinking about you at the time," she replied. But she felt a little guilty. "I was gonna tell you," she muttered. "Eventually."

Rachel snorted. "Like when, sometime before the wedding?" But she was smiling. "So," she said, prodding Cassie with an elbow, "when's your first date?"

"Tonight," Cassie replied, blushing a little. "But it's not a big thing, okay, so don't get all-"

"Not a big thing?" Rachel interjected. "Of course it's a big thing, Cassie! How could you make a date on such short notice? We don't even have time to go shopping, Jesus, it's already noon!"

"Wait-shopping?"

"Well, yeah, Cass. If you think you're going on your first date with Jake in that, then I'm gonna have to correct you. As your best friend, I feel honor bound not to let you leave the house in those overalls." Rachel paused. "But wait a minute, how are you guys gonna go out tonight when we have a mission?"

"There's been a change of plans," Cassie told her. "Which you could find out, if we could get back to the meeting and out of my lovelife-"

"Ooh, listen to Cassie, talking about her _lovelife_!" Undaunted, Rachel teased a mortified Cassie all the way out the door to meet the others.

********************************

Jake said nothing as Rachel pulled Cassie into the next room.

"So, last night went well, did it?" said Marco.

Jake couldn't quite contain his grin.

"See, I told you to go for it, man. Was that so bad?"

"Okay, Marco, you were right," Jake conceded.

Right about what? asked Tobias, who fluttered in alongside Ax.

"Jake got some play last night." Marco said, grinning.

"Marco, it wasn't like that," Jake protested, the blush creeping back. 

"Come on Jake, don't be modest."

"Shut up, man," Jake definitely did not want to go into the finer points of last night with them right now, especially not when Cassie could walk right in any second.

"What, not even a little over-the-sweater action?"

"I'm not even gonna answer that, Marco."

What sort of actions are you referring to? asked Ax.

"What do you mean?" Marco replied.

Those actions which are carried out over a sweater. What sort of things are you talking about?

Marco smiled. "Oh, _wonderful _things, Ax-man. But we'll get into that when you're older."

he turned back to Jake. "So what happens next?"

"Well, we're going out tonight," Jake said nervously. "I don't really know where to take her, or what to do when we get there."

"You're not going to have a lot of time tonight, after the mission, right?" Marco said, puzzled.

"Yeah- about that..." said Jake as Rachel and Cassie came out of the surgery room.

__

Cant wait until tonight, he thought, watching Cassie, before he shifted into leader mode.


End file.
